Fleetwood Mac: Destiny Rules

Elly Roberts reviews

Fleetwood Mac: Destiny RulesDistributed by
Sanctuary Visual Entertainment

• Cert:
• Cat.no: SVE 3083
• Running time: 80 minutes
• Year: 2003
• Pressing: 2004
• Region(s): 2, PAL
• Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
• Languages: English
• Disc Format: DVD 5
• Price: £15.99
• Extras: None
• Rating: 3/10

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If reality TV had been around 30 years ago,the goings – on in the Fleetwood Mac camp would have topped the ratings.

Sadly, this fly-on-the-wall documentary finds the group a lot older, andalmost a lot wiser. In the mid-seventies, they were beginning to make aname for themselves with a virtually new sound. Instigators of the changewere lovers Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who brought abreath of fresh air to the then struggling band.

Subsequently, they went on to great things, with albums like Rumours, Tuskand Tango in the Night. During this transitional period all the bandmembers were going through personal traumas: John McVie andhis wife and band member, Christine were splitting, as were Buckingham andNicks. Emotions were running high, but ironically it seemed to bring aphenomenal creative output. This film should have been done then.

Various people have come and gone over the years with twelve different line-ups.Drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie are the only original membersstill holding the rhythm section. After a long absence, the Rumoursmembers reunited as a quartet (without Christine McVie) to record theirfirst studio sessions in fifteen years. January 2002 brought them togetherin a house-cum-studio in Los Angeles.

Knowing their history quite well, I couldn’t wait to see the interactions. Nickshas never gotten over Buckingham (she’s till writing songs about him for thissession), Fleetwood had a brief affair with her, and McVie was just there for thetrip. So, the potential for an explosive experience is set.

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Fleetwood Mac:
Say You WillFrom the outset, Buckingham’s in control: engineer and producer. His technicalwizardry is legendary, so he was the right man for the job. Hanging over thewhole project was an unsigned deal with a record label and whether should it be adouble album, which Buckingham wanted, or a single one. For 80 minutes wefollow the band and entourage: managers, assistants and record executivesthrashing things out. Within reason, everyone’s being very polite, but youdetect and undercurrent. For me this is where the documentary lets you down.

Musicians are historically temperamental beasts, and I was hanging on everyword waiting for the sparks to fly – but they’re all being very respectfultowards each other. Buckingham, and the others know that it could all gopear shaped. Five hundred hours of footage was shot, so what happened to thejuicy bits ?

Fleetwood remains the mediator and spokeman, Buckingham and Nicks give thecreative input and McVie just plays the bass. That’s how it was back in theseventies and nothing’s changed. Major differences of opinion are obvious:artistic battles continue, but everything is amicably sorted in the end.They sign to Warner Brothers which pleases everyone.

The resulting album, Say You Will (above-right), turned out to be toolong in the end anyway, never matching up to their anything from their heyday.It’s fascinating viewing if you want the to witness the arduous processesinvolved in making an album: singing, dubbing, rehearsals etc., but that’sit for me.

The 30 year saga goes on… but for how much longer?

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